What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The solo pilot was making a low approach at 50-70' AGL to a Private grass strip approximately 1/2 mile southwest of Fish Haven, Idaho. He recognized he was slow, applied power and lowered the nose to gain speed. He then retracted the flaps from full down to 1/2, but mistakenly selected full up. The aircraft started to sink and he realized he was not going to be able to out climb the rapidly rising terrain. He banked the aircraft to the left so as not to crash directly into the hill. The right main landing gear and right wing tip struck the ground, tearing the gear from the aircraft and turning the aircraft up hill approximately 90 degrees clockwise. The aircraft came to rest approximately 30 degrees from its initial contact with the ground. The nose and left main landing gear folded aft, both the left and right wings sustained tears in the skin on the lower surface just aft of the leading edge, the skin, right side aft fuselage had two circumferential tears of approximately 10 and 3 inches, the right aileron was bent and wrinkled, and all the three propeller blades were bent forward. The pilot walked about 40 feet from the wreckage and collapsed with fractured vertebrae.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE SOLO PILOT WAS MAKING A LOW APPROACH AT 50-70' AGL TO A PRIVATE GRASS STRIP APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE SOUTHWEST OF FISH HAVEN, IDAHO. HE RECOGNIZED HE WAS SLOW, APPLIED POWER AND LOWERED THE NOSE TO GAIN SPEED. HE THEN RETRACTED THE FLAPS FROM FULL DOWN TO 1/2, BUT MISTAKENLY SELECTED FULL UP. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO SINK AND HE REALIZED HE WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO OUT CLIMB THE RAPIDLY RISING TERRAIN. HE BANKED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE LEFT SO AS NOT TO CRASH DIRECTLY INTO THE HILL. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK THE GROUND, TEARING THE GEAR FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND TURNING THE AIRCRAFT UP HILL APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES CLOCKWISE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES FROM ITS INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. THE NOSE AND LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR FOLDED AFT, BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT WINGS SUSTAINED TEARS IN THE SKIN ON THE LOWER SURFACE JUST AFT OF THE LEADING EDGE, THE SKIN, RIGHT SIDE AFT FUSELAGE HAD TWO CIRCUMFERENTIAL TEARS OF APPROXIMATELY 10 AND 3 INCHES, THE RIGHT AILERON WAS BENT AND WRINKLED, AND ALL THE THREE PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT FORWARD. THE PILOT WALKED ABOUT 40 FEET FROM THE WRECKAGE AND COLLAPSED WITH FRACTURED VERTEBRAE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.